It seems that actors and actresses are held up as the standard to live by in the world, to the point of being worshipped (idol worship). We as humans can't help but be influenced by what we see and hear. Is avoidance the best solution? I seem to recall something about graven images in the Bible. Does this tie in to movies, or am I way off base? -- Gary Roberts (Indianapolis)
I know some disciples will watch certain things that other disciples will not watch because of personal convictions. But where do we draw the line? Please express your detailed convictions on this in terms of what kind of movies you watch, and whether you believe there should be one standard that all disciples should hold to. I do understand that disciples of different maturity levels can handle different types of movies. Does the principle of 1 Corinthians 8:13 apply to movie-viewing? -- Viet
To answer the first question, undoubtedly avoidance is the best solution for many Christians. Pop idols are a far cry from graven images, however, even though both may involve idolatry. See the final verse of 1 John for "idolatry" in the non-graven-image sense.
To address the second email, it is very difficult to tell others where to draw the line. For me, living in the United States, even though I do not often go to the cinema, when I do I am usually pretty careful to vet the film before I see it, often by going to www.Screenit.com or a similar website. 1 Corinthians 8:13, as well as Romans 14-15, certainly bears on the discussion.
Should there be one standard? Yes--the righteousness of Christ. Should we all get together and agree what film rating is permissible? I doubt that would be fruitful. Rather, we must trust each person to make his own decision. For more on this, you might want to read my paper on Television.
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